Nacer Bouhanni Gets The Triple At The Giro d’Italia

SALSOMAGGIORE TERME, Italy, May 20, 2014 (AFP) – Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni
sprinted to victory in the 10th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday after a
mainly flat 173km run that finished in Salsomaggiore Terme.

It was a third stage win of this year’s race for the Francaise des Jeux
rider, who again held off Italian Giacomo Nizzolo, as during his two previous
wins.

Australian Michael Matthews came home third in a mass sprint as his
compatriot Cadel Evans retained the overall leader’s pink jersey.

Following Monday’s rest day, the French champion triumphed for the third
time in eight days as a mass pile-up with 700m to go played havoc with the
peloton racing for home.

“It’s never easy,” said Bouhanni, who solidifies his position as points
leader and holder of the red jersey.

“It was pretty fast in the final sprint. Nizzolo attacked but I was able to
go past him,” added the 23-year-old, who equalled compatriot Laurent
Jalabert’s haul of three stage wins on the 1999 Giro.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Under sunny skies, Italian duo Andrea Fedi and Marco Bandiera launched an
escape in the early stages that was doomed from the outset.

Their maximum lead reached 8min 30secs before the peloton swept them up
with 9km to go which set up a mass sprint for the line.

Evans maintains his 57sec lead over Colombian Rigoberto Uran as both riders
came home with the pack.

However, the 2011 Tour de France winner lost one of his BMC team-mates when
Belgian Yannick Eijssen fell victim to a crash during the last hour of the
stage.

Wednesday’s 11th stage will feature a 249km run from Collecchio, near
Parma, to Savona and includes a category two climb before a descent to the
finish.

Leading stage and overall
results from stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday following a 173km run
from Modene to Saisomaggiore.